Daily Mass Readings 10/03/2014 or The Difference Between J-O-B and G-O-D.

"Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works." Ps. 139:13-14

10/03/2014 Friday of the Twenty-Sixth Week of Ordinary Time

I have been told that the Psalms were the prayer book of the Jewish people in Jesus' time. In fact, when Jesus cries out on the cross, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" He is calling out Psalm 22, which if you read it, lays out what is happening to Jesus. Of course it was written centuries before but it calls out those mocking him and asking why God doesn't deliver him, it talks about them casting lots for his clothes and his thirst. But I digress.

I want to reference two things from today's readings. One is this passage from Psalms where the author clearly expresses the truth that God formed all of us 'in my mother's womb'. A little over a week ago, the 40 Days for Life campaign began and all over the country and even internationally, people are praying daily for an end to abortion. Some are praying in their homes and others in quiet vigil outside of abortion facilities. All of them are driven by the belief that life begins at conception; from the moment He begins 'knitting us in our mother's womb' and there are many people who disagree with them. I think it's telling that we, as a society, cannot agree on possibly the most important aspect of our existence, when our life begins.

Alongside this I would point out the passage from Job in today's readings.

"Have you entered into the sources of the sea,

or walked about in the depths of the abyss?

Have the gates of death been shown to you,

or have you seen the gates of darkness?

Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?

Tell me, if you know all:

Which is the way to the dwelling place of light,

and where is the abode of darkness,

That you may take them to their boundaries

and set them on their homeward paths?

You know, because you were born before them,

and the number of your years is great!" -Job 38:16-21

Other than what I believe may be some divine sarcasm, God is pointing out to Job, that he (Job) is not God. And here we are several millennia later still unable to learn the same lesson. Relativism has turned us each into our own little God deciding what is true, what is right and what is wrong. 

Hmmm, that story sounds familiar too.

A wise man once asked: What is the difference between you and God? The answer is, God never thinks He's you.

We have clouded our vision on so many things. But we should be careful because when everyone has his own truth, then there really isn't any truth.

God Bless,

P.D.O.